Kimberly Kelly says goodbye

TV host leaves 'Your Carolina,' 'Scene on 7'

Published: Friday, July 19, 2013 at 7:42 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 19, 2013 at 7:42 p.m.

"The easiest part was working with Jack, and the hardest part will be leaving him. He's like family,"said Kimberly Kelly former host and creator of 'Your Carolina' as she reflected as she fought back tears.

This morning, Kelly sat with her co-host Jack Roper among a spray of flowers and gifts, as she got ready to go on air with "Your Carolina" for the last time.

"Even with the excitement of great ideas in the future, of course I'm sad," she said.

Kelly has been hosting the show for six years alongside Roper but also played a major role in creating the show. Kelly and Roper have worked together over the years to build an entertaining show that focused on local Carolina stories. This morning some of their guests included Dr. Daniel Nickles, a local dentist and the Moonshiners from Tryon, N.C., whose reality TV show is featured on the Discovery Channel. Prior to the live recording, Kelly remained optimistic about the last show.

"We're going to do a show; what we wanted to do all along, and what we thought we'd do until the end. We're going to do a show," she said.

Kelly will be replaced by Megan Heidlburg who has already been a part of the show for quite some time. Heidlburg hosted "Carolina Now," on the CW and was the fill-in host for Kelly on both "Your Carolina" and "Scene on 7."

"Bringing her back over to 'Your Carolina' as a host, I don't think we're going to miss a step. I think she's well known in the area, she has a great presence about her, very professional. I think she'll do well," said promotions manager Ross Lytle.

Lytle and the rest of the "Your Carolina" team are not worried about the future of the show.

Although it may take some adjusting from the fans, "Your Carolina" will still aim to be the show it has always been.

"As a producer, we're a family. So it's kind of breaking that up, but on the other hand, it's looking in a different direction. It can be a clean start for us," Smith said.

As for Kelly, her future is currently unclear. Her contract with WSPA expires on Sunday, and she has not yet committed to anything new.

"I'm going to work so hard to build another place,” she said. "It might be different, but I love to create so I don't look at that as difficult."

Kelly has formed a unique “friendship” with her followers -- people who have been there throughout her journey, and others who she has met along the way.

"I don't have fans, I have friends. I've never looked at anybody like a fan," she explained.

When asked for a piece of parting wisdom for her friends, she responded that she just wanted these people to know “that they are friends.” She will not only be missed by these people but by her crew as well.

“"She's great. We had a good thing going there for a while," Roper said. "She does an awful lot to stay busy and she's on TV so her presence will not be gone."

It was almost unanimous among the crew of "Your Carolina" that Kelly possesses an enthusiasm that will be difficult to duplicate.

"What I appreciate about Kimberly, when we were creating Scene, is her enthusiasm,” field producer Heather Husson said.

"She's just excited about things, and it's fun to work with her."

Husson and Kelly worked together in creating "Scene on 7," which has been on air for about four years now.

After Kelly had said her goodbyes and the show ended, the crowd of viewers gave her one last round of applause. Though this chapter in her life is over, she has created a bond with the people she shared this time with.

"There is an entire crew over here that puts a show on day in and day out with no manager or no engineer in this facility, and they need a thank you," she said.

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